Showing posts with label pewter napkin rings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pewter napkin rings. Show all posts
Posted by
linda
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Good morning to you! Ever feel like there simply are not enough hours in your day? Well, that's how I have felt all week and I suspect its only going to get worse as we near the holiday craziness. Thank God for coffee! This is another all over the map post but its a fun excuse for me to talk about this and that. On the home front, I am awaiting pillows and a dust ruffle to be done for the guest room which I cannot wait for, its coming out so pretty! Will share as soon as its all together! I have included a few pics taken with my camera this time of the loggia all done. (taken on a dreary morning...)
Just had the floor cleaned and grouted......cannot wait to furnish this space and light that fire!
I just have to say again how honored I am to have been chosen by Homegoods as their blog of choice for the classic look!! It was so exciting to partner with them for the wonderful giveaway from last week. More to come!! Seeing my name on their website gives me such a thrill and truly is a wonderful validation of what I am doing....thank you Homegoods. You rock!
Click here to take their Stylescope quiz and see what style you are!
Saw two movies this past weekend, both which I really really enjoyed. The first one, The Intouchables I was supposed to see two weekends ago but plans changed and we didn't go, I was bummed. I was happy we got to see it and it did not disappoint. A wonderful typically European film that touches the heart and moves the soul. I so enjoyed it as I do many foreign films.
The second one, Arbitrage with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon centered around a filthy rich but very corrupt wall street tycoon and the story rings true about what has gone on for so long, its well done, riveting and I also enjoyed it for different reasons.
There are two movies coming that I cannot wait to see! Besides Le Mis of course:) I have included the trailers because I am not sure they will be considered "mainstream movies' that you will see in every theater, but the previews have me waiting in bated breath to see them! Here they are....
WAR OF THE BUTTONS.....
Pasta e Fagiole Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/8 pound (about 4 slices) pancetta, chopped (I do not chop it, it naturally falls apart while cooking)
- 1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact (use sparingly)
- 1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves (I use 3 fresh)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- Coarse salt and pepper
- 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups ditalini
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
Directions
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and then simmer. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. At this point, once you have removed your pot from heat, set aside and then put in your pasta. The heat will naturally cook the pasta but just perfectly, not too hot..and will result in a soup with al dente pasta as it should be. Is anything worse than a great soup with mushy pasta? Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Serve with bread and enjoy......this is a real treat!
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| The popular white moss finish |
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| Love this pine cone topiary....ordered a pair in the white moss finish, so perfect for a holiday console table! Stands about 22" tall. |
And one of mine filled with artichokes......
One of the Santas holding a tree
Sly fox pulling a cart
The adorable whimsical conga line (can be made with virtually any animal or breed of dog)
The hare atop the tortoise
The owl and bunny on a moving see saw
Bunny pulling the cart
Bunny in the garden
Sly fox with pinecones
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| Another adorable version of an amimal conga line |
A Basset Hound next to two birdies
Humm...is this a Scottish terrier with his dog bowl? I need to know all you dog experts!
A type of Terrier
The hare atop the tortoise
Pretty awesome aren't they? They are soon going to have their own section on my online store but for now can be found under new additions, click here to visit.
Another dough bowl finds its way to a happy home:)
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| Love this amazingly beautiful vignette....soooo pretty! |
My silver planter with horn handles being used in all the gorgeous bathrooms in a super elegant new bed and breakfast (more on this next week)!
How about this gorgeous gracious hallway/entrance with the floral etched lantern? Stunning!
OK, time to fess up. How many of you have gotten a new phone or were very tempted to get a new phone just because you totally fell in love with a phone case that is not made for your current phone? My hands way up in the air. I cannot wait to get my new phone.....all so I can order one of these amazingly cute, chic phone cases from the ever so talented The Pink Pagoda. I mean seriously, people...is this not the cutest phone EVER? Click here to visit and get one for yourself. Forewarning, she makes a boatload of other AMAZING items like stunning prints, pillows,etc......don't say I didn't warn you:)
Well that's about it over here. I will probably be back on Friday to wrap up the week. What's new with you? Are you enjoying beautiful fall foliage where you are? Here, things are really starting to rev up and its looking spectacular. I will be sure to share some of my pictures next week. We are headed up north this weekend and I will be sure my camera is charged and ready for what I know will be plenty of photo ops, I think the further north we travel the more " peak" the foliage will be...cannot wait! Wishing you a wonderful day!
Posted by
linda
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Forewarning...as these posts tend to be, this is another long one. Somehow they grow from being average sized posts to mega marathons....... My advice? Dont' read standing up, take an extra five minutes and relax, grab a cup of coffee and hope you enjoy!
HERMES SCARVES' ARTIST IS TEXAS POSTAL WORKER
Turns out the one behind the famous French fashion label's limited edition scarves is not a trained Parisian artist, but a postal worker from Waco, Texas, named Kermit Oliver.
Oliver sifts mail during the day, and paints at night. According to the Texas Monthly, who recently did a revealing profile on the artist, noted that Oliver was discovered in the 1980s by then Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. He has since kept his job at the Post Office, preferring a simple and quieter life to one of fame and notoriety. His artwork, most well-known for its intricacy of design and depictions of flora, fauna, and exotic animals, is produced in limited edition. Over the past 30 years, he has designed 16 exquisite scarves for Hermes, each of which take anywhere from six to nine months to create. His exceptional designs are so sought after, that his scarves usually sell out immediately in stores, and if they do end up on eBay, sell for at least $800, according to the Texas Monthly. Hermes scarves usually sell for anywhere between $200-$500.
Oliver sifts mail during the day, and paints at night. According to the Texas Monthly, who recently did a revealing profile on the artist, noted that Oliver was discovered in the 1980s by then Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. He has since kept his job at the Post Office, preferring a simple and quieter life to one of fame and notoriety. His artwork, most well-known for its intricacy of design and depictions of flora, fauna, and exotic animals, is produced in limited edition. Over the past 30 years, he has designed 16 exquisite scarves for Hermes, each of which take anywhere from six to nine months to create. His exceptional designs are so sought after, that his scarves usually sell out immediately in stores, and if they do end up on eBay, sell for at least $800, according to the Texas Monthly. Hermes scarves usually sell for anywhere between $200-$500.
In progress.......
A before.......
BEEF BOURGUIGNON
- About 3-4 tablespoons light virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces bacon, chopped (1/2 a package)
- 2 teaspoons garlic cloves, large chopped pieces (not too fine)
- 1/2 cup Cognac
- 1 bottle of good full bodied red wine (ideally like Beaujolais, Cabernet or Burgundy)
- 2 cups beef broth (I used Emerils box of beef stock which is a 32 oz box)
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2-2 1/2 pounds beef cut into 1-inch cubes
- Sea salt to taste
- Fresh pepper
- 1 pound carrots, cut to 1 inch (don't use baby carrots, they are too soft)
- 2 med.onions- thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried) I used a bit more than the recipe called for
- 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature, melted
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms (cut off stems and discard)
If you have a nice heavy dutch oven, that is preferable otherwise a good stock pot is fine. I used my Le Cruset "weighs a ton" pot but it was perfect for this dish plus its French! Heat the olive oil and add the bacon, cook on medium until fairly crispy. Remove and drain bacon. Add cubed beef (after they have been rinsed, patted dry and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper) one layer at a time and sear the meat, this will take about 4-5 minutes, make sure its seared on all sides. Set aside with the bacon.
Next, you will add carrots, onions, and either potatoes or turnips if you are using them along with salt and pepper to the fat in the pot and cook for about 15 minutes or until soft and onions are lightly browned. Then add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Next add Cognac...you then should take a match and light it right in the pot...STAND BACK while you do this and stare in awe at your budding creation! (This process burns off the alcohol)
Next add the meat and bacon into the pot with the juices already in. Add the bottle of wine and beef broth, this mixture should pretty much cover the meat. Next add tomato paste and thyme. Simmer and then cover...at this point you can either cook it on the stove or transfer to a preheated oven (300 degrees) I cooked mine on the stove.
This stands about 20" tall and about 8" wide
Gorgeous hand cut
The etching is all hand one....beautiful!
Very heavy and amazing quality.
And the darling napkin rings including a few newer ones.....
Also had been on the prowl for some chunky ginger jars that had a lot of white but had that antiqued look that is so desired well at last I found them...let me present the three newest family members to my growing blue and white family! How gorgeous are they? They are now up for sale in my online shop, click here to visit my blue and white porcelain shop.
And you might remember when I first opened my store, I had this STUNNING very Herend like tureen, I sold out right away but am happy to say I just scored two more tureeens and some of the beautiful decorative plates and a few pair of lamps. LOVE this pattern, so rich and elegant!
As always feel free to email me with any questions regarding any of my products/online store or for anything you might be looking for but cannot find. Click here to email me.
And the front door post...here's the top three! Several were neck in neck, but no losers here!
The first two tied for first place.....
This one was a close second...
And this one a close third..it was fierce!
So did your favorite make it?
Still with me? Then read on about this amazing giveaway I am offering.......Want to win a $500 gift card from Homegoods? Its simple to enter....all you need to do is visit their newly launched Stylescope by clicking here. Come back and tell me what style you are. That's it....you are automatically entered! I will announce a lucky winner on Monday, Oct. 15th.
If you want a second chance, visit my online store, click here and come back to tell me an item that might find its way on your holiday list or you can let me know on Facebook.
Remember all anonymous users, if you don't put your first name and last name initial you are not in the running!! Ditto for those who use only a first name, I must have your last name initial to include you. Best of luck...some lucky winner is going to have one fabulous shopping spree. Thanks Homegoods! And thank you for stopping in...wishing everyone an enchanted day!
